Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

Published 1992 · 92,171 words · about 8 hours at an average pace · Fantasy, Satire & Humor

How hard is Small Gods to read?

Small Gods scores 61 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.

Vocabulary: 48 out of 100
Pratchett's prose is generally accessible, featuring contemporary language and clear descriptions. While the text introduces numerous Discworld-specific proper nouns and terms (e.g., 'Omnia,' 'Quisition,' 'Septateuch,' 'obols'), these are typically explained by context or are easily inferred, preventing significant difficulty. The vocabulary is more varied than 'Beach Read' but lacks the archaic or highly specialized jargon of 'Moby-Dick' or 'Ulysses'.
Sentence structure: 45 out of 100
The novel employs a mix of sentence structures, from direct and declarative to longer, more complex sentences with multiple clauses, often for comedic effect or philosophical asides. Paragraphs can be lengthy, but the syntax remains largely clear and navigable, avoiding the extreme hypotaxis or unpunctuated streams of consciousness found in higher-scoring anchors like 'Ulysses' or 'The Golden Bowl'. The prose maintains a conversational flow, making it more accessible than '2666' but less direct than '1984'.
Abstraction: 62 out of 100
'Small Gods' frequently delves into philosophical and theological concepts, such as the nature of belief, the existence of gods, and the role of free will versus predestination. These abstract discussions are woven into the plot and often presented through dialogue or internal monologue, making them more concrete than pure philosophical texts. The book balances its adventure story with probing questions about faith and power, placing it above 'The Great Gatsby' in abstraction but below 'Gravity's Rainbow'.
Information density: 55 out of 100
'Small Gods' presents a moderate information density, layering world-building details, character development, and philosophical concepts within its narrative. While not overwhelming, the text requires attention to grasp the nuances of its satirical commentary and the implications of its theological discussions. It is denser than a straightforward plot-driven novel like 'The Housemaid,' but less demanding than the encyclopedic references and multiple plotlines of 'War and Peace' or 'Ulysses'.
Narrative indirection: 60 out of 100
The omniscient narrator frequently provides direct exposition on philosophical concepts and the true nature of events, such as the allegorical opening with the tortoise and eagle. However, the pervasive satire and the stark contrast between characters' perceptions and reality demand significant reader inference. The humor often arises from the reader's ability to discern the unstated implications of the Omnian Church's hypocrisy and the characters' self-deception, placing it above direct narratives like '1984' but below texts with truly unreliable narrators.
Symbolic density: 80 out of 100
The novel is deeply allegorical, with almost every major element carrying symbolic weight beyond its literal meaning. The transformation of Om into a tortoise symbolizes the decline of true faith into institutionalized power, while the predatory eagle represents false belief. The corrupt Citadel and the philosophical Ephebe function as central symbols for the nature of belief, power, and truth, making the narrative a sustained allegory far more extensive than a single motif like in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.
Ironic distance: 85 out of 100
Pratchett's signature style employs a high degree of ironic distance, with the omniscient narrator consistently highlighting the absurdity, hypocrisy, and folly of the characters and institutions. The gap between what the text overtly states (e.g., the Church's piety) and what the author implicitly critiques (its cruelty and corruption, as seen in the Quisition's 'furnaces of purity') is constant and central to the book's satirical intent. This sustained, critical irony is comparable to the demanding satire of 'The Sellout'.
Resolution withholding: 55 out of 100
While the plot of 'Small Gods' generally moves towards a clear resolution for its central conflict, the deeper philosophical questions regarding the nature of gods, belief, and truth are presented as enduring human dilemmas without definitive closure. The narrative provides a satisfying conclusion to the immediate events, yet it encourages ongoing reflection on its profound thematic implications, akin to the 'open meaning' found in 'The Great Gatsby'.
Structural complexity: 45 out of 100
The narrative largely follows a linear chronology, focusing primarily on Brutha's journey with occasional shifts to other characters' perspectives, such as Vorbis or Fri'it. While the omniscient narrator frequently interjects with philosophical asides and contextual information, these do not significantly disrupt the timeline or create ambiguity in the narrative flow. The structure is more complex than a simple linear story due to these digressions and multiple viewpoints, but it lacks the experimental formal elements or fragmented chronologies of higher-scoring anchors.

How Small Gods is regarded

Small Gods holds a literary regard score of 57 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.

Where Small Gods sits in Northrop Frye's Anatomy of Criticism

Placed by a full reading of the text (174 passages), not from reputation. Each verdict quotes the passage that earned it. On the axis from myth to irony, Small Gods scores 78 out of 100. A second mythos, comedy, pulls at it with a weight of 0.3. About the map of stories.

Mode: Ironic
The trouble with being a god is that you've got no one to pray to.
Symbol: Mythical (archetypal)
Because what gods need is belief, and what humans want is gods.
Mythos: Satire of High Norm iii (irony iii)
Belief shifts. People start out believing in the god and end up believing in the structure.
Genre: Anatomy + Romance
which translates into the vernacular roughly as Gods: A Spotter's Guide.

Where the story of Small Gods takes place

  • Omnia, on the Discworld, the main setting
  • The Citadel of Kom, Omnia, Discworld
  • Ephebe, white city of philosophers on the Circle Sea
  • The desert coast and high desert of Omnia
  • Death's black-sand desert of judgment
  • Dunmanifestin on Cori Celesti, home of the gods

5 things that are true of Small Gods, with the passage for each

  1. The Temple doors carry five hundred and twelve Commandments.

    There were five hundred and twelve so far, and doubtless the next prophet would add his share.

  2. Om was a tortoise for three years before he regained his memory.

    I intended to be a great big roaring white bull for a week and ended up a tortoise for three years.

  3. The Library of Ephebe holds only four or five hundred volumes.

    its four or five hundred volumes.

  4. St Ungulant's imaginary companion on his pole is named Angus.

    Yes, said Angus.

  5. The god limits his bargain with Brutha to one hundred years.

    For One Hundred Years, Yes?

Scenes in Small Gods that Frye would name

51 sightings of Frye's terms in the text. The strongest:

Anatomy, untitled
which translates into the vernacular roughly as Gods: A Spotter's Guide. A mock-learned treatise embedded in the story.
Anagnorisis, untitled
Belief shifts. People start out believing in the god and end up believing in the structure. The core recognition: the Church has replaced faith with structure.
Alazon, untitled
My God led me, and I led you. Vorbis claims to have led Brutha through the desert he was carried across.
Pathos, untitled
But he was spread-eagled on a surface, his arms and legs chained to something he couldn't see. The sacrificial scene: Brutha is chained to the iron turtle above a fire.
Demonic imagery, untitled
So that the sinful can be put in," said Brutha. The iron bull with a door on its back is a machine for burning people.
Anagnorisis, untitled
And then the truth hit Om like the ground hits tortoises after an attack of eagles. Om recognises that Brutha is his only true believer.

Books that share these scenes with Small Gods

About the author

Terry Pratchett